Aspirin ; Metformin ; Inflammation ; Prevention and control
Abstract
The origin of many medicines have been initially developed from herbal ingredients, and after they are settled as drugs through several steps of improvement, new pharmacokinetic effects are often additionally found with the potential for other therapeutic applications. Aspirin and metformin are representative drugs with this historical background. Since cardiovascular disease and cancer development share a common mechanism of chronic inflammation, it is worth exploring the possibility and scope of aspirin functionally. In particular, it is worth noting that it promotes the production of resolvins and lipoxins, potent anti-inflammatory substances, through switched catalytic activity for cyclooxygenase-2. Metformin is the most commonly prescribed drug in treating diabetes, and several beneficial effects have begun to be known through molecular and epidemiological studies. It is estimated that various roles still have not been identified, having much room for application to various diseases beyond diabetes.